Ps Elijah Toppo
Vision of New Life Fellowship:
“To establish Christ centred spirit filled Bible based churches that grow and multiply across nations so as to transform lives and communities.”
The 2 greatest needs of people are:
- Belonging
- Purpose
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
Purpose is what drives you. Eg. Career, family, sports, recreation, retirement. As Christians, we too have a purpose that drives us.
Our purpose, as believers is to fulfill Jesus’ mission.
His mission is for us to make disciples. The Plan is the church.
We are the plan.
Matthew 28:18-20 – the Great Commission
Jewish movement is becoming multinational multiethnic movement.
The Holy Spirit descends and lives now in people. The disciples are now transformed and they become bold.
In Acts 2:42-47, we read about the
Jerusalem church.
Stephen has kerygma of the Gospel.
Antioch church is formed. Church is matured and is becoming a sending church. Barnabas and Paul come out. They are going to different places and forming churches.
Pauline cycle: All places they went to, they preached at the synagogue, proclaimed the Gospel and that Jesus is the Messiah. After getting rejected, they preached the gospel tp the Gentiles.
That’s what Jesus did.
He preached and taught. He was teaching the Kingdom of God, about Repentance and new life and the transformation of people who are part of a new king/kingdom.
He established communities into Christ likensss. Different communities like fishermen, adulterers, tax collectors.
He gives them a purpose and plan to go baptise and teach the whole nation.
What is the purpose that is driving you?
If we are the body of Christ, we need to be moulded by the purpose of God.
“A churchless mission and mission-less church are both out of God’s plan”
Pillars of the church that drives it:
- Proclaim the gospel of Christ
- Gather believers
- Build them up in faith
- Make them effective in service
Based on church history, we have seen that we cannot have individual Christians but part of a community.
